Breech-loading fire-arm



' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

'P. A. ALTMAIER. BREEGH LOADING FIRE ARM.

Patented July 25, 1882.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets- Sheet '2.

P. ALTMAIER; BREBGHLOADING FIRE ARM.

Uni-ten STATES FATENT tries.

PETER A. ALTMAIER, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BREEGH-LOAEENG NEE-ARM.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,648, dated July 25, 1882.

Application filed June 6, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER. A. ALTMAIER, a citizen of the United States of Amerioa,ri. siding at Harrisburg, in the county ofDauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Arms, of which the following is a specification. reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to breech-loading fire-arms; and the object is to provide a. gun that shall be simple in construction and capablo of rapid manipulation an d tiring, with little or no liability to get out of order; and to that end the novelty consists in the construction of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings similar lot ters of ielerence indicate like parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lock mechanism with the side lock-plate removed and the parts in their relative position when the gun is cocked and ready for firing. Fig. 2 is a. similar view, showing the position of the parts in the act of loadingor removing the exploded shell. Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view of the breech-block; Fig. 4, a side view of the shell-ejector; Fig. 5, an end view of the same; Fig. (5, a cross-section through the line a x in Fig. 3; Fig. 7, a longitudinal sectional view of the hammer; Figs. 5, 9, and 10, details ofthe rear sight, and Figs. 11 and 12 detail views of the front night. i

A is the barrel of the gun, and B the stock. The barrel is rigidly secured to the stock by the bolts aa and by being clamped between the lock-plates, one of which, a, is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the near one being removed to expose the lock.

U is the hammer, which is mounted between the lock-plates upon the stud c, secured to or cast upon the plate a.

I) is the inninspring, which is provided with a friction-roller, d, where it comes in contact with the hammer.

E is the trigger, the pawl act which catches in the detent d in the hammer O.

(No model.)

0 is the trigger-spring, which forces it into the detent, and e is an adjusting-screw by which the pull of the trigger may be adjusted to suit the taste of the party using the gun.

F is the breech-block,whioh is pivoted to the barrel at f.

Gis a bell-crank pivoted in the block F, its longer end, g, extending downward and connected by a toggle, g, to the guard-lever H, so that a downward motion of the guard-lever *"ill cause the block F to descend, as shown in Fig. 2.

To the shorter end, of the crank G is pivoted a pawl, h, which, as the guard H is lowered, engage in thedetent h in the hamrner and cooks it.

-I is-thc shelhejector; which is pivoted to the barrel by the screw 1 and held in its normal position by the spring i.

.K is a pin projecting from the side of the breech-block F, and held in this position by a spiral spring, 7:,which at the same. time allows it to rec-ode into the block F when pressure is brought to bear on its projecting end. In lowering the breech-block F this pin K strikes the incline It on the shell-ejector I, and rides down it until it reaches the end, when it slips off. This motion causes the upper end of the ejector to withdraw the shell, and as the pin K slips over the end of the incline k the ejector is forced by the flat spring t back to its normal position. T1 is motion ejects theexploded shell clear of the arrel. After a loaded, shell has been placed in the gun, in replacing thebreechblock the end of the pin K strikes the beveled edge 3 of the ejector I. 'ihis causes the pin to recede into the channel in the breechblock until it has passed up above the incline k,'when the spring kcauses it to project so as to strike the incline in its downward passage.

A lever, 4, is pivoted at 5, and its outer end, 6, is rounded to conform to the recess 7 in un der side of the breech-block F, and a dog. 8, is secured to the trigger-guard H. The object of this dog is to force the lever 4. into the recess 7 in the breech-block and lock it there when the guardis in its normal position against the stock. These devices rigidly secure the breech-block in position when the gun is in po- I sition for firing, and it is impossible for the block to be moved until the guard has been lowered. Bymcans of the set-screw 9 the dog S'may be adjusted, should occasion require it.

10 is a collar or sleeve held in place in the breech-block F by the set-screw 11, which allows it a little end motion.

12 is a tent on the sleeve, and in the case of rim-firing shells the sleeve is struck by the hammer, which causes the teat to strike the rim of the shell and explode it.

13 is a central firing-pin, and is mounted in the sleeve 10, and held there by the collar14, as the shoulder 15 prevents the pin 13 from coming out.

In the hammer G is a collar, 16, which secures the pin 17 in place, the shoulder allowing end-play and preventing it from coming out.

18 is a thumb-screw fitting tightly into the hammer G. The lower portion of this screw is provided with a recess, 19, which is in a radial line with the pin 17, so that when the recess and the pin are in line the pin will extend into the recess. If, however, the screw 18 is given a quarter of a turn, the recess 19 is thrown out of line with the pin 17, so that the pin does not enter the recess. It will thus be seen that if rim-fire shells are used the screw 18 is turned so that the recess 19 is in line with the pin 17. This prevents the pin 17 from coming in contact with the pin 13 in the breechblock; but at the same time the face of the hammer strikes the sleeve 10, which causes the teat 12 to impinge on the rim of the cartridge and explode it. In the operation of firing the rim-shells the pins 13 and 17 perform no part orfunction. If, on the contrary, it is desirable to use central-firing shells, the screw 18 is 0 turned so as to throw the recess 19 out of line receding and holds itrigid.

with the pin 17. This prevents the pin from In this condition it strikes the central pin, 13, in the block F, which comes,in contact with the cap on the central-fire cartridge and explodes it, and during the operation of thesepins the sleeve 10 and teat 12 are inoperative and play no part. It will thus be seen that by simply turning the screw 18 the arm is readily adapted to the use of either rim or center firing shells.

When the gun is cocked and ready for firing in the descent ot'the hammer the portion 20 passes under the concave part 21 of the breech-block; but if the block is moved a trifle 5 5 down it prevents the portion 20 from passing.

Therefore it is impossible for the hammer to fall, unless the breech-block is in its normal position; and, further, when thebreech is open the pawl h is in contact with the detent h of the hammer C, which would prevent it from falling, so that it is impossible to explode the charge in the gun by accident, carelessness, or otherwise during the act of loading.

The rear sight consists of two hollow stand ards, 22 and 23. The standard 22 is provided with a thumb-screw, 24, which engages with the lower sight, 25, so that by turning the screw the sight may be raised orlowered,and the standard 23 has a similar screw, 26, which engages with a yoke, 27, from which is suspended the upper sightor pendulum, 28, so that by turning the screw 26 the sight-pendulum 28 may be raised or lowered in a manner similar to and to correspond to the adjustmentof the lower sight, 25. It will thus be seen that this rear sight adjusts the gun for range or distance shooting, and by the position of the pendulum it can readily be determined when the gun is in the proper position for tirin g.

The front sight consists of a barrel, 29, through which passes a screw, 30, by means of which the sight 31 maybe adjusted to the right or left to compensate for the wind or the peculiar shooting of the gun itself. Should it have a tendency to carry to the right or left, the barrel 29 is provided with two sight-guards, 32 and 33, which assist the eye when observing the sight 31.

I do not herein claim the sight mechanism, as that will be the subject-matter of a separate application.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s

1. The combination,with the pivoted breechblock, of the crank-lever G, pivoted in the breech-block, the guard-lever H, and toggle g, connecting the two said levers, the pawl h, pivoted to the free end of the lever G, and the hammer O, the parts being arranged substantially as shown, whereby the breech is opened and the hammer cocked by a single movement of the guard-lever.

2. Thepivoted extractorI, arranged under the rear end of the barrel,and the swinging breechblock F, pivoted forward of the extractor, andv provided with a spring-pin projecting from its side in such relation to the extractor as to engage the incline lc of the latter in opening the breech and extract the shell, and constructed, as described, to pass the end of the extractor in closing the breech, as set forth.

3. The breech-block F, pivoted under the barrel at f, and provided on its under side with the recess 7, the lever 4, pivoted in the frame below the breech-block, and the guard-lever H, provided with the adjustable dog 8, arranged to engage the free end of the leveret and press the same against the breech-block to tightly close the breech, as set forth.

4:. The sleeve 10, provided with firing-pin 12 for rim-fire shells, arranged in a recess in the breech so as to have longitudinal movement therein and a firin g-pin, 13, for center-fire shells, arranged in the sleeve and to move therewith or independently, in combination with the hammer, as set forth.

5. The hammer 0, provided with a rigid fir- 26mins a in g-nose, and with a sliding pin in its frontface In testimony whereof I affix my signature in and a screw, J8,in the top, said screw having presence'of two witnesses.

a recess in its side for the reception of the end of the sliding pin, whereby the pin is adjusted, PETER A. ALTMAIER. in combination with a double firing-pin arranged as shown, so that either rim or central Witnesses:

fire shells may be used at the will of the op- EUGENE SNYDER,

erator. SAMUEL A. HU'MMEL. 

